Review: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Title: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Puffin
Release Date: 6th October 2015
Pages: 486
Read in: 1 Week

Synopsis: Goodreads

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by an uncle he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. His uncle tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

My Review:

So, I think it’s safe to say that I’m a Rick Riordan fan… After years of not reading any of his books, I’ve ended up diving head first into all the worlds he’s created and loving them. So, this week, let’s discuss The Sword of Summer and the main character, Magnus Chase.

I’m not the most knowledgeable when it comes to Norse mythology, in fact, I’m pretty clueless. Though I suppose I can’t say that now I’ve read this, ha. But because of my lack of knowledge of these Gods, I struggled at first to get past my very limited awareness (aka Thor and Loki as Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston… that is their names, right?) of them. It didn’t take too long as Riordan has a writing style that just emerges you in his world very quickly. So, I didn’t find it to be a huge dilemma for me.

I’m really happy that Riordan’s writing is so recognisable and familiar. I’m just able to begin reading his work and then, without realising it, I get lost in his writing, which makes it way too easy to attached to the characters. Which is probably why I love his characters so much. Let’s start with Magnus Chase. He starts out as a kid on the street with a few friends who seem to have taken it upon themselves to look after him – Blitzen and Hearthstone. These three have some of the best ‘banter’ (although I hate that word, I can’t think of another one, ha) between each other and I regularly found myself laughing out loud at the things these guys said or did.

Magnus has a great quality about him, he cares so much about all the friends he develops. One of those people is Magnus’ Valkyrie, Samirah. Samirah is somewhat baffling for me in this story. She’s definitely a weird one because she’s in this Norse mythology world… and yet she’s muslim. She’s a practitioner of a different religion… I won’t lie and say this absolutely confuses the hell out of me. But hey, it’s not a massively important aspect of the story and honestly Sam is still an amazing character. She does seem like one of those girls you’d want as your best friend, minus the double life and secrets, I suppose!

As for the story itself, I think parts of it are pretty predictable but definitely enjoyable. I’ve seen a lot of people say that they prefer the Percy Jackson Series over this one, but in the same way as my thoughts for The Kane Chronicles, I prefer this over the Percy Jackson series. I can’t say for sure how you’ll feel, and yes even I can see the similarities but with the same author comes similarities! I suppose that’s just something you have to accept.

Overall, I love this novel and cannot wait to see what is install for the rest of the gang.